HIS is an age of growth. It is astonishing, when one stops a moment to think about it, how much of that which makes our civilization better than barbarism has been brought in within the lifetime of many of our old men--well, within the last seventy-five or eighty years, we will say. It seems to us, in the light of our age, with everything whirring and buzzing about us, doing the world's business by the power of steam and electricity, a wonder that our ancestors were for centuries and even for thousands of years piddling along, doing almost nothing, barely scratching a meagre sustenance out of the earth, when all the while there was so much in it.

      This is an age of schemes, of movements, of associations, of orders, of societies, all meant, of course, for the good of the people, for the betterment of society generally. Upon every good idea, and for reaching every good end, for the correction of every wrong and for the suppression of every great evil; we have already, or are likely to have in the near future, a special society organized, or [350] association formed, officered and equipped for that special work. It is amazing, when one gives a thought to it, how many societies--political, moral, benevolent and religious societies--have been conceived and brought into the world within the last half century, all intended to improve society and bless the world, and some of them to glorify God also.

      In our churches, composed of their members, we have societies organized, with their pledges and constitutions and laws, until half the alphabet is used for the initials of their names; and the work of forming societies is still going on. A new one is brought forth nearly every day. We have societies or associations for the different sexes, for all ages, and for all conditions of men and women. If a young man wants Christian "association" for reading, rest or work, here is the Y. M. C. A. for him. If young Christians want to work for Christ, and are not certain they are capable of doing much, but are willing to endeavor, here is the Y. P. S. C. E. for them. If our Christian women wish to work especially in the good cause of temperance, here is the. W. C. T. U. for them; and so on and so forth--a society or association for every good work and for the suppression of every great evil in the world.

      What should be the attitude of the members of the church of God toward all these things? There are many people who decide this question very readily, some one way and some another. For myself, [351] I have had some difficulty in deciding it to my own satisfaction.

      Before going further in what I have to say about societies, specially religious societies, let me say a few words about the church, as to what I understand it to be, find to be for. The church of God, in its most comprehensive sense, includes all real believers in Jesus Christ, of all sexes, ages, colors, countries--and worlds. Of the church in this broad sense there is no organization further than that Christ is the head and all believers are members of his body. It has no offices. It is a union like that of the vine and its branches. The bond of union is faith in Jesus Christ.

      But church in the New Testament has another sense, less comprehensive and more limited locally. In this sense the word is used in the plural--as "then had the churches rest," "the churches of Christ salute you," "all the churches of the Gentiles," "as in all churches of the saints," "the churches of God which are in Judea," etc. The churches in their local sense are composed of members of the church in the more comprehensive sense, in cities, towns and neighborhoods,. associated together for the purposes of work, edification and enjoyment. This local association of disciples, with officers to oversee and serve them, is the only church organization--if I may use that word--known in the New Testament. Nor were these local churches associated together in any organic sense. They were [352] entirely independent of each other, further than that the members of all were spiritually united in the bonds of a common faith, hope and love. The ecclesiasticisms of our day are all younger than the church of God. Now, anyone who is a member of the church of God in its broadest sense, needs to belong to no other society, or association, or organization of a religious kind, in order to his usefulness and happiness in life, being thus furnished with all the means and instrumentalities for doing all the good he can do, and with all the association necessary for his edification and happiness. Such an one needs to do no more joining as to religious societies in order to his usefulness, happiness and salvation. I speak of the church member's necessity and duty, and not of his Christian liberty. Of that hereafter. As a member of the church he is thoroughly panoplied and furnished for the battle of life. The church furnishes all the society and all the means and instrumentalities he needs.

      The question then arises, What should be the attitude of the members of the church of God toward all other religious associations and societies than the church? This question is not one to be hastily and inconsiderately answered. It is one of no little importance. Certainly Christians should not oppose or stand in the way of any good work being done by any person, or association of persons. They should carefully avoid the appearance of doing so. Political parties, even, advocate some good measures and do [353] some good things. This will not be denied. Christians should not be found opposing any good they are aiming to do.

      The societies and orders of a moral and benevolent character, like the Masons, without exception, do some good, and Christians should be careful not to oppose them in their good work. And the many religious societies of our day, other than the church, are aiming to do good, and are doing some good beyond question. Christians should offer no resistance to any good work they are doing. Their methods may be in some respects objectionable, and they may do some things that might better not be done; still, Christians should be very careful to say nothing and do nothing that can be construed into opposition to the good they do. The disciples once saw a man casting out demons in the name of Jesus, and forbade him because he followed not with them, and when they reported it to their Master, He rebuked them, saying: "Forbid him not; for he that is not against us is for us." We should not forbid anyone working a good work because he does not follow with us.

      In the second place: It is the Christian's liberty to show his approval of any good work, though not done by Christians, and though he cannot approve all the methods by which it was done. As a citizen of this Nation, the Christian has a right to vote--that is, the Christian man--and for myself I frequently exercise this right. When I see a political party [354] advocating a good thing, or opposing an evil one, I consider that party to that extent on my side, and allow it to vote with me. If a political party proposes to cast out a demon, so to speak, I shall certainly not forbid it. If a political party get on the right side of, a moral question, it gets on our side. If it makes war upon any of the evils of the day, it fights on our side; and on all such questions we can fight together, though that party may do and advocate many things we do not like. The party that votes against slavery, the party that votes against polygamy, the party that votes against whiskey, the party that votes against lotteries and pools, is to that extent on our side, and we can vote together, though we do not belong to any political party, nor the party belong to the church.

      We belong to the army of the Lord, enlisted, pledged, initiated, sworn in, to fight for life or during the war against all evil and for all good; but we should not despise any assistance from those who may choose to fight the evils we are fighting, simply because they do not belong to the regular army. Let them fight on our side if they wish to. They are helping us. We are pledged to our Leader. We belong to His army--the church. We are soldiers under him, the great Prince of our salvation. We are panoplied with the whole armor of God. The weapons of our warfare, as Christians, are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of the strongholds of sin in every shape and form. We [355] are contending for more than any of the political parties, or any of the moral, benevolent or religious societies. "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report," for these we contend.

      We are fighting against sin and evil all along the line. Any person or party fighting for any particular good thing or against any particular evil is helping us. True, we are not enlisted under their banner, and are not subject to their orders, are not marching and fighting under their command. They are helping us, and we should approve and rejoice in any good they do, in any help they may lend us. We can go together just so long and so far as they go our way. We can fight together while they fight in any part of our battles.

      We cannot afford to do anything that in any sense or any measure disparages or minimizes the church of God, and thereby dishonors our Leader. We should not expressly or by implication concede that the church of God is in any sense or measure insufficient, or that her divinely appointed means and instrumentalities are in any measure insufficient, for the purposes of their appointment. We should stand for the supreme authority of Christ. We are complete in Him, who is over all principalities and powers, in heaven or on earth. We cannot be too careful here. We should stand for the church as [356] God's appointment for the conversion and salvation of the world; as God's appointed and equipped army for the conquest of the world. With others than Christians we should fight only when they fight on our side--fight our battles. We should company with them only when they go our way.

      I confess I look with some distrust and fearful apprehensions upon the growing number of associations and societies in the churches. Must we have a Christian Association for young men? What is the church of God? What is it for? Is it not for Christian association? Is it not a sufficient association for Christians? That is, I mean, is it not a sufficient Christian Association? But we are told we must have a Christian Association especially and exclusively for young men. I don't know but young men might better associate with older ones, and all of them associate with women, as in the church of God. And we must have a Christian Association for young women exclusively, we are told. Then we must have Endeavor Societies for young people. But I ask, is not the church an Endeavor Society? Is not that one of the objects of its existence in the world? If we are to organize and sustain a society for every special Christian work, and for every sex and age, what will become of the church? Who will be left in the church? Only a few very old men and women, too old to work, or to associate, or even to endeavor, to die off in. Will it not become an old, useless, fallen-down, outside fence? Or, to speak of [357] it as a plant--and it is a plant planted by the Lord--will not the societies suck the life out of it? I sucker my plants--that is, I pull the suckers off.

      I insist that it is not right for Christians to give their time and strength to the societies and neglect the church of God. These societies were not planted by our Lord, nor by His apostles. Think of the apostle Paul going from city to city organizing Y. P. S. C. E.'s, or Y. M. C. A.'s! Paul did no such work, nor did any other apostle.

      Now, please do not misunderstand me as opposing any good work done by any of these societies. I rejoice in every good work that is done in the world. But what I mean is, that Christians do not need to spend their time and means organizing and fostering such societies. The church of God is a spiritual house enough for us to live in, temple enough for us to worship in, vineyard enough for us to work in, husbandry enough for us to tend, building enough for us to work on, army enough for us to march, drill and fight in. People who are contending, as they say, for primitive Christianity, for New Testament Christianity, should stand for the church of the New Testament, and leave others to spend their time on human societies, if they cannot be persuaded to do better.

      Where we go into and foster these religious societies, with their pledges and constitutions, we do it in the teeth of our fathers who proposed to return to the Christianity and the church of the New [358] Testament, and by our action endorse the creed principle, and thus condemn ourselves in the thing which we allow. Instead of strengthening the young people among us in opposition to creeds and parties, and in their faith in the all-sufficiency of the New Testament as the rule of faith and practice for the people of God, we are breaking down in their estimation that for which we and our fathers have contended and tried to build up. We are educating our children for sectarianism.

      Preachers of the restoration, who are, or who profess to be, contending for primitive Christianity, for that pure Christianity and church of the New Testament, will find, when it is too late perhaps, that when they are going over the country organizing Christian Associations and Christian Endeavors, and teaching our young people how necessary they are, they are pulling down that which our fathers labored to build up, and which they may think they are building up.

      To repeat what I have said:

      1. Members of the church of God should be careful to oppose no good work being done either by individuals or societies. Every good work is in the line of our work, and will be a help. While we are not able to approve all the methods of outside individuals or societies, we should not put ourselves in any such attitude as can fairly be construed into opposition to any good work. Let anybody cast out demons. Let anybody fight the evils of [359] the day. Let anybody do good without opposition from us.

      2. Church members can show their sympathy with and approval of every good work. We as citizens vote with such parties as are advocating good measures without belonging to such parties or endorsing all their methods. We can, under our own banner, fight with all who are fighting against evil. We can go with and co-operate with all who are going our way and working our work.

      3. We cannot afford to say or do anything that implies even the necessity, so far as we are concerned, of any organization or society of a religious character other than the church of God. It is enough for us. It is all we need. We are complete in Jesus Christ and His church. We should stand in and for the church. We should work in and by the church. We should honor the Head of the church. We should not go out to work, but work in the church. "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Only thus can we heed the teaching of the apostle, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

      For my own part, while I rejoice in all the good I see accomplished by the many religious parties and [360] associations and societies, I have settled the question that the church of God is religious society enough for me; I organize no other Christian Associations for young or old, male or female. I have no time or energy to spend building up any other Christian endeavor societies.

[NTC3 350-361]